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Granderson Donates $5 Million To New UIC Baseball Stadium

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 04: Curtis Granderson #14 of the New York Yankees hits an RBI double against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning of Game Four of the American League Division Series at Comerica Park on October 4, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)Curtis Granderson. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

(CBS/AP) — University of Illinois trustees have agreed to a deal in which New York Yankees star Curtis Granderson will pay for most of a new baseball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Trustees voted Wednesday to name the new stadium after Granderson, who announced in February that he will donate $5 million to the project. The total cost is projected to be $7 million.

Granderson was drafted by the Tigers in the third round of the 2002 draft. His $5 million donation represents exactly one-third of his 2013 salary. He’s scheduled to be a free agent following this season.

The open-air, brick-and-stone stadium will seat 1,200 and is expected to open in 2015. The plan calls for using the field for Flames games and events for Chicago Public Schools and youth organizations.